Saturday, June 6, 2015

Andean Peru is Not a Theory-Part II

Continuing
from the last post regarding the difference in Andean Peru from all the
theories regarding the placement of the Land of Promise proposed by various
theorists, and the understanding of the “facts” behind this placement.

As
we know, “Lehi saw many things in visions
and in dreams and he also hath written many things which he prophesied and
spake unto his children, of which I shall not make a full account” (1 Nephi
1:16). Lehi had many such visions, of which he saw the future of his seed on
the Land of Promise (1 Nephi 8:36), and Nephi desired to see those same visions
(1 Nephi 10:17), and was granted his desire (1 Nephi 11:6). Upon
seeing all those visions, Nephi recorded them. “And it came to pass that the
Lord commanded me, wherefore I did make plates of ore that I might engraven
upon them the record of my people. And upon the plates which I made I did
engraven the record of my father, and also our journeyings in the wilderness,
and the prophecies of my father; and also many of mine own prophecies have I
engraven upon them” (1 Nephi 19:1). Before
looking at those visions and seeing what Nephi knew about the Land of Promise
of which he wrote, we need to keep in mind that two of those on the original
journey from the land of Bountiful along the shores of Irreantum to the Land of
Promise were Nephi and his brother Jacob. Consequently, two of those who wrote
about the location of the Land of Promise were on the vessel that took them to this
land, though one was young at the time, he grew up with the other who had built
and steered the ship from the Old World to the New—the Land of Promise. As
a result, if anyone knew where that land was, it would have been Nephi (we do
not have the writings of Lehi at this point in time), who saw it first hand,
who saw it in a vision (1 Nephi 10:17) because he desired to see the same
things his father had been shown (1 Nephi 11:1). In addition to seeing the
birth, life, ministry and crucifixion of the Savior in those visions, he saw
the world, its wisdom, accomplishments, the pride of people, and the fall,
which “was exceedingly great" (1 Nephi 11:36).

Most
importantly, Nephi saw a vision of the Land of Promise over the centuries of
its existence, seeing wars and slaughter among his people (1 Nephi 12:2),
seeing many generations pass away (1 Nephi 12:3), the destruction of his land
during the crucifixion (1 Nephi 12:4), the advent of the Savior among the
Nephites (1 Nephi 12:6), he saw four generations of peace after Christ, then
the gathering of multitudes of Lamanites against his Nephite people (1 Nephi
12:15), saw the total destruction of the Nephite nation (1 Nephi 12:19), saw
the spread of the Lamanties as they were gathered together in multitudes and fought
wars among themselves throughout many generations after the fall of the
Nephites (1 Nephi 12:21). He
also saw the fall of the Lamanites into “a
dark, and loathsome and filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of
abominations” (1 Nephi 12:23). At this point, far into the future, Nephi is
given a vision of many nations and kingdoms in the world (1 Nephi 13:1), who
were the Gentiles (1 Nephi 13:3), and they were divided from the Land of
Promise where the Lamanites dwelled (1 Nephi 13:10-11), and Nephi saw one of
the Gentiles who was guided by the Spirit and crossed the many waters to the
Land of Promise (1 Nephi 13:12), and the Spirit of God wrought upon other
Gentiles and they went forth upon the many waters (1 Nephi 13:13), who
scattered the Lamanties who were driven and smitten (1 Nephi 13:14), and Nephi saw
the Gentiles obtain the land for their inheritance (1 Nephi 13:15).

In
all of this, Nephi had a complete vision not only of his own land, the Land of
Promise, but also the oceans that separated the Land of Promise from Europe,
and the sailing of the Gentiles who came to the Americas and scattered and
attacked and killed the Lamanites. He actually saw these things. The Spirit
said unto Nephi, “Look!” And Nephi beheld the visions of all these events—he
says he actually saw them (1 Nephi 11:8, 13, 14, 25, 34, 36; 12:1-7, 15, 19,
20-21, 23; 13:1-7, 12, 14, 16-20). Nephi saw these events!It
would seem, then, if anyone knew the size, shape, placement and description of
the Land of Promise, it would have been Nephi! Now,
a few years after these visions in which Nephi saw the entire Land of Promise,
the seas between this land and Europe, the coming of the Gentiles, the wars
upon the Land of Promise down through the last generations, etc., that he ought
to know the shape, size, location and overall condition of the entire Land of
Promise. Is it possible that anyone today, or for the past hundred years, had
anywhere near as much knowledge of that appearance of the Land of Promise?
Certainly, there is no recorded revelations or visions of such. Consequently,
out of sheer overwhelming evidence of the facts stated in the scriptural
record by the one who saw all this, we should accept Nephi at his word. As a
result, we need to understand Jacob’s comment as he preached about the
atonement, the resurrection and forgivness of sins to the Nephites during a
two-day conference in that Land of Promise. Jacob
clearly said, “And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has
given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and
lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off;
nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we
have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we
are upon an isle of the sea” (2 Nephi 10:21). Now,
being present, Nephi recorded Jacob’s words exactly as they were spoken. And having seen the Land of Promise in a vision throughout its long history, the
fall of his people, the coming of the Gentiles, the subjugation of the
Lamanites, he did not alter Jacob’s description that they were on an island,
and that the island was in the midst of the sea over which they sailed.

1.
Nephi saw the Land of Promise, including its history from beginning to end,
even before he landed upon it;2.
Nephi’s ship, which could be steered (1 Nephi 18:13), when he took it back over
after his brother’s rebellion on board, Nephi “did guide the ship, that we
sailed again towards the promised land” (1 Nephi 18:22);3.
He guided his ship to a landing on the Land of Promise (1 Nephi 18:23);4.
He planted seeds on this new land; he journeyed in the wilderness; he saw the
animals and beasts; he saw the ore of which he wrote (1 Nephi 18:24-25);5.
He acknowledged Jacob’s description that they were on an island in the midst of
the sea over which they had traveled and wrote it down in the record;6.
He testified that the record he made was true, that he made it with his own
hand, and made it according to his own knowledge (1 Nephi 1:3)7.
Only the most precious information was engraven on the plates (Jacob 1:2.With
this in mind, how is it possible that when Jacob and Nephi wrote of the Land of
Promise being an island that theorists today simply do not believe them? Or try
to lighten its meaning, by changing or qualifying the word “isle” (island) to
mean something other than it did and does. Why
it is that theorists today feel so free to make such changes with the “facts”
of the scriptural record, replacing them with their own beliefs and
speculations(See
the next post, “Andean Peru is Not a Theory-Part III,” for more information as
to why Andean Peru is not a theory, but based on fact)